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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351233">Touch</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisplacedKey/pseuds/DisplacedKey'>DisplacedKey</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Diarmute Week 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pilgrimage (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:49:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351233</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisplacedKey/pseuds/DisplacedKey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Touching the relic means instant death. Diarmuid will do it anyway.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Diarmute Week 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1673284</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Touch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nerves deepen in the pit of Diarmuid’s stomach as he walks over to the relic. He can feel eyes on him as he hands Rua his torch. The relic itself sits innocently in the grass, illuminating by the flickering firelight. Rua and Geraldus chant, the Latin almost eerie in the black, otherwise quiet night. Diarmuid’s heart pounds in his chest as he stares, Cathal’s words echoing in his head.</p>
<p>
  <em>"No one but the pure of heart can touch the relic and live. No one."</em>
</p>
<p>Touching the relic will kill him. To think otherwise would be horribly arrogant, and Diarmuid has had too many...unkind thoughts about Raymond de Merville and his men to claim that he is anywhere approaching pure of heart. But he has to try. Even if they were capable of carrying the reliquary on the run, there’s no going back for it now. They cannot leave the relic here, either. Not when the Norman soldiers will comb the woods looking for it, and not when Ciarán gave his life to keep its location a secret. They must keep the relic safe. It is their duty.</p>
<p>Diarmuid reaches down slowly; his hands are just barely trembling and blood rushes in his ears. At least he will die trying to serve God, like his brothers. He only wishes that he wasn’t leaving the Mute alone.</p>
<p>His hands close around the relic. It is bumpy and heavy as he lifts it. He waits for lightning or fire or pain as he moves the relic to his bag. He waits for it to grow warm like a coal, to glow with holy light and scorch through his palms. Yet it falls into his bag without causing harm. Diarmuid is not reduced to a scorched corpse. He is not even hurt.</p>
<p>Rua and Cathal stare at him, their eyes wide with amazement. Diarmuid looks over to the Mute, whose eyes shine with reflected firelight. His expression is complicated, but there's no surprise in it. Not really. It makes the rock at Diarmuid’s side feel lighter.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this one is late! I was super busy with school and life stuff yesterday, and I just couldn't finish in time. Anyway, have some introspection about one of my favorite parts of the movie. Love my pure of heart boy!<br/>====<br/>Entry number five for @pilgrimagesource's Diarmute Week. The prompt: Hands.</p>
<p>Find me on Tumblr at https://iwillcarryit.tumblr.com/</p></blockquote></div></div>
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